University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Vols 34, Georgia 31
October 01, 2016 | Football
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Tennessee head coach Butch Jones
(Opening statement)
"What can I say? First of all, that was just a great, great college football game, particularly in the second half. Kirby's team came out ... I've got a lot of respect for him and what he's done and what he's building here--and obviously (former Georgia head coach Mark Richt) as well. We knew that we were walking into a great environment and we had to grow up as a football team. I didn't like our performance in the first half. I thought we were nonchalant. I didn't think we were very physical on both sides of the football. There's something about this team; they're resilient. They understand. And you don't win a game like that if you don't have character, and I continue to say it.
"We were in 2-man at the end of the game, and (Georgia quarterback Jacob) Eason makes a play. Give them credit. But, when they got the 15-yard penalty, we felt we had a chance. That was a kickoff return that we put in (for) the end of (a) game, and we've had it in for three years and never used it. To our kids' credit, we rep it every Thursday, and we were able to get it (today), and it put us at midfield range where you could throw a Hail Mary. I told our kids in the huddle that we were going to come down with it--we're going to find a way. And Josh (Dobbs) threw the best ball he's thrown in his career. And what can I say about Jauan Jennings? He wasn't going to be denied. He has a little bit of a vertical.
"Again, just resiliency ... 11 straight wins ... fifth-longest streak in school history. But really the most important thing is it gets us one step closer. We needed to be 1-0 and we were 1-0. This puts us at 5-0 overall. We're just finding ways to win football games. What can I say? I thought Josh Dobbs managed the football game and did some good things. Jalen went out with a lower extremity injury, so we weren't able to have Jalen Hurd. So that's why he didn't play (late in the game). Alvin Kamara stepped up and was a workhorse for us in the second half. Again, I'm just proud of our players and the character that's being displayed."
(On Jauan Jennings' ability to make plays)
"I think he relies on his instincts to go up and get the football. Jauan is one of the most competitive players I've ever been around and he wasn't going to be denied. I give Coach Azzanni (passing game coordinator/wide receivers) credit. We called a timeout to see how they were aligned and he shuffled the lineup on the trip side and those are things that people don't realize. Coach Azzanni put him in position to make that play, so did Joshua Dobbs and Jauan came down with it."
(On securing the win)
"It's kind of surreal. I saw the ball and it was a tight spiral and had good lift so I thought we had a chance. It's one of those moments in time that you'll remember forever. I've also been on the other end of it too and you'll remember that forever. I think it's a great illustration that you play until the clock hits zeros. From my vantage point I could see him come down with the ball and land on his back and all I could see was a rush to the field and the thing I was worried about was replay; but there was no replay needed for that. It's something I'll remember for a lifetime."
(On the offense clicking during the second half)
"That's why when I talk about character, it takes a lot for you to spy and get a touchdown in 10 seconds in the game. It's a tribute to our kids, everybody was where they needed to be and there wasn't a substitution issue and they were focused. The calmness of our sideline when you go back and think about it was surreal. There was no panic, nobody was down and I looked the kids in the eye and told them that we're going to find a way to make a play. I told the line to just give him protection and let him put the ball out there. We were kind of torn on doing a lateral type play but I wanted to put the ball in the endzone and let Jauan go up and get the football."
(On motivating players at the half)
"I told our players at halftime that we take care of you here. We make sure that you have the best-of-the-best, but the things we can't give you is a will to win, a heart and a desire. I said that you're going to show me how bad you want it in the second half. They came out and I thought we played pretty good football in the second half to overcome it. I am as mind boggled as everyone else of the slow starts. We'll keep making it a teaching point, make the start of practice different and continue to emphasis it. At the end of the day, the best you can be is 5-0 and we're 5-0."
(On playing with injuries)
"I give Colton Jumper and Cortez McDowell a lot of credit. Again, you take away three all-conference football players off of anybody's defense with Cameron Sutton, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Darrin Kirkland and these individuals keep stepping up and making plays for us. Again, I can't say enough: we had a lot of individuals play valuable repetitions. I told our team before we left the hotel that somebody in this room would have to step up. Somebody that, maybe, doesn't play as much. You're going to step up and you're going to have to have a role in winning this football game. We talked about really being 68-strong. Jalen (Reeves-Maybin) couldn't play and neither could Cam (Sutton), but they count on the travel roster. We were 68-strong."
(On how often they execute the winning catch in practice and how much he trusted its success)
"We catch it every time, but it's also on-air. I can honestly tell you, on (Alex Jones') name standing right there, I 100 percent, firmly believed we were going to catch the football and we were going to score. That's the belief I have in this football team, these kids and what they have been through for five weeks. They're getting everyone's best shot. That's why I respect Kirby Smart. I respect Georgia. They have a heck of a football team. We found a way to win a football game on the road in a really challenging environment and challenging opportunities. I can't say enough about these kids, their resiliency, their resolve and the no panic."
(On Tennessee's next-to-last possession)
"To take the next step as a football team and as an offense, we have to close the game out. We need to force them to burn their timeouts and the game is over with. It's back to situational football and forming an offense. That will be a teaching point as well. Malik (Foreman) put us in a situation that closed the game out and we weren't able to do that."
(On the forced fumble in the end zone)
"Demeanor and execution. I think with the flexibility right now, playing as many guys as we are, we're fresh. In the past, we had defensive lineman getting 60 reps, 70 reps, 80 reps in one particular contest. What happens is that's a cumulation over time. Now, being able to rotate guys in and get valuable repetitions, that's a high product of that as well."
(On Georgia's final touchdown)
"We were in two-man. So our corners have to stay in man coverage and our safety has to get open. We couldn't have been in a better coverage, but also give the quarterback a lot of praise. He scrambled out and made a play. He's got a strong arm. Their receiver went up and made a play. Sometimes football comes down to making plays as we just witnessed."
(On running the ball three times on the next to last possession)
"A lot of that is based on the fronts that we are seeing and they were in man coverage. What I thought about doing was throwing the ball vertical and trying to end it there. We were forced with playing situational football because it was third down. If you throw the ball deep and it's incomplete, then they don't have to burn a timeout. Then they have two timeouts and that changes the complexion in a hurry, where if you run the football, you're not going to let much time off the clock, but you are going to force them to use a timeout."
(On the slow start in the first half)
"It is concerning. I think every person in that locker room understands that we have to be better in the first half. We can't turn the football over, particularly when you go on the road. You cannot turn the football over. We took seven points off the board. We tried to play field position, but I have to give our kids credit. They don't blink. They don't flinch. And if you don't have character, you don't win games like that. This is something that we work hard in our program year-round by building character, building the mindset and building the mentality. It's the way you practice. It's everything that you believe in. These kids believe in each other. They believe that somebody is going to make a play. It was almost like déjà vu a year ago. You all know what I'm talking about. The difference is that this football team didn't blink. They found a way to win."
(On how often they practice the Hail Mary)
"We practiced it somewhat in training camp a bunch, but we practice it once a week on our Thursday or Friday practice. Again, there's a lot that goes into it from the spacing of the individuals. Everything is about the protection that our offensive line gave, but the ball that Josh Dobbs gave was ... what can I say? It's a player making a play. A great player made a great play."
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs
(On last play of the game)
"Nobody on the sidelines said it was over -- everyone said we can still get into field goal range, we still have three time outs to use, we can run hook and ladder. We lucked out with great field position, great return, and we were able to capitalize on it."
(On what it says about team)
"We have the most competitive team in the nation, I feel like. We find ways to win, fight it out -- adversity has been thrown our way each and every game. There's no quit from this team. Everyone is hungry and that's the type of attitude you have to have to be successful."
(On the rest of the season from first half stand point)
"We have to have more intensity. This year, uncharacteristic things are happening in the first half and we put ourselves in bad positions throughout the game. [If] we come out and execute, we will be successful. I think it's a testament to the team that despite everything that happens in the first half, we are still going to fight, still going to execute, still take it one play at a time and fight to win."
Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings
(On if he thought the ball would come his way on the final play)
"When coach (Butch Jones) called the play. I believed in myself all the way."
(On the feeling of the win)
"It was just an awesome feeling -- it was unbelievable. The way these seniors have paved the way for myself and all these other guys to be in this position and to pay them back, it's an unbelievable experience I will never forget for the rest of my life."
(On his transition to wide receiver from quarterback)
"Every day going in and out in practice with this last year's receiver group, all those veterans helped mold me and make into the receiver I am today. I'm very grateful for them. It just took a lot of hard work and determination."
Tennessee offensive lineman Dylan Wiesman
(On the overall mood of the team after the win)
"We're feeling good. Obviously we got the win and that's what matters. We're gonna enjoy tonight and enjoy this win but come back and be ready for next week."
(On Joshua Dobbs and his performance)
"That's what you want in a quarterback. You want a leader and a guy that can make things happen, and that's what Josh is."
(On his vantage point of the game winning Hail Mary)
"I saw the whole thing actually. Jashon (Robertson) and I were on the nose, and I just saw the ball in the air and saw Jauan go up above everyone else and grab it. I was afraid I was going to get an ineligible receiver penalty because I was running down the field."
Tennessee defensive lineman Derek Barnett
(On the feeling on the sideline following Georgia's go-ahead scoring drive)
"We were all calm on the sideline and Evan (Berry) had a big return so he started it off. I think everybody stayed calm. We didn't have a doubt."
(On the forced fumble in the end zone)
"I was assuming it was going to be a pass so I was trying to get after the ball. The tight end came and blocked me and I just kept pushing. I got in there and me and Cortez (McDowell) hit him and made a play."
(On what this game meant to the team)
"It was the next game. It was a great win for us but we still have a long journey to go ahead of us. We've got some good teams coming up and we're excited to play them. We just have a great group of guys and have to keep it going."
Tennessee defensive lineman Corey Vereen
(On Jauan Jennings' "Hail Mary" reception)
"I knew he was going to catch it. Jauan's the guy. He always goes up and gets the ball in the air, so I knew he was going to catch it."
(On what made Tennessee's defense perform better in the second half)

"Honestly, we were getting pressure the whole time. We just capitalized and started getting sacks. We just made sure we stayed relentless and stayed on them the whole time."
(On his he's ever been involved in a game with so many momentum swings in such a short span of time)
"No. To be honest with you, that's the stuff I usually watch on TV. It normally doesn't really happen like that. But it's crazy to be involved in it."
(On scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown)
"I was just doing my job, man. I saw the ball and got on it. It was as simple as that."
Tennessee defensive back Todd Kelly Jr.
(On his reaction to the game winning Hail Mary)
"Speechless. We were blessed with another win. The defense gave up a big play and that's uncalled for from our defense. We'll go look at the film and make corrections. But at the end of the day, we won the ball game and we're 5-0."
(On how important the win was)
"It's huge. It was a crucial win for us on the road. We have a lot of guys that have never been on the road before and came down to Athens, and the atmosphere was awesome. The Georgia fans brought in, and Georgia was ready to play. They punched us left and right, but we never gave up. We were in the corner, but at the end of the day it's all about four quarters."
(On his vantage point of the Hail Mary)
"I saw the ball in the air and felt like it was there for about 15 seconds. And then I saw Jauan leap up. He plays basketball in the team room and dunks the ball so easily, so when he went up for it, I kind of had a feeling he was going to come down with it. I asked him after if he knew he was going to get the ball, and he said 'I knew when they called the play that I was going to make a play on the ball.' That's the kind of confidence he has, and he's a phenomenal player."
Tennessee linebacker Colton Jumper
(On his reaction to the final play)
"Right now I can't put it into words. I'm just speechless. So many emotions come over you. It's like you wanted to just go celebrate with everybody, but then at the same time you were just so overcome with everything, you just wanted to go lay there and just stare up. Awesome, awesome win. We just keep on coming together closer and closer, with the injuries that happened. I just can't say enough about this team."
(On what the sideline environment was like after Georgia scored their last touchdown)
"After they scored there wasn't really any talk. It was dead silent. So, it was just dead silent and a bunch of guys had a somber look on their face, but I mean the change of emotions between the 10 seconds, final 10 seconds of the game, was ridiculous. I can't even really put it into words. It was a fun night."
(On the defense looking cleaner in the second half)
"Really it is hard to say. We keep on doing this, but we stub our foot in the first half and then clean it up and come back in the second half. Second half, I think they might have had, well besides that last one, only one explosive play. Just coming in and making corrections during halftime, Coach Jones did a really good job of that. First half, just getting our feet under it, us getting our nerves out of the way. But we did a good job in coming back in the second half."
